Process of producing plastic explosives.



.= explosive, which indn I to a line pow er.

i n w [ill l ATllIElT EVERXHD STEELE, 01* l NO. cos ne.

Specification of Letters Patent.

3.? PHODUUING PLRS-TIG EZZELOSJIVES.

Patented HOV. 3, i908.

sg imuon filed April .1, 1993. "Eerihl'iln. 456,418.

To all u lz-c'm it may concern:

Be it known that livnnmo citizen of the United S ares, rliyndeiulraetli, North W l es, England, Great Britain. have invented i i and improved of Producin Plastic l jxplosives, of which tlu i ollowizig l i ii'lcst'on.

This invention role l process for prmlucing s. g anules plastic safety to the action of moisture; By its plastic properties, the explosive is more particularly opted for ehzirgii'ig over-heed holes mines and in similar underground work.

in carrying out the lIlVmllZlOll, I employ a finely powdered nitrsted orgonsubstance which insoluble in'weter, whileit is readily soluble in e. volutile liquid, uch alcohol, benzene, etc. This nitrsted substance which maybe. produced in any suitable mannor, is mixed with an ox dizing substance, such as s chlorate, perchlorate, nitrate, permanganate of ootessium, etc, also reduced After these. ingredients hr. been carefully mixed, they are treated with a volatile liquid, such as slcohohbenzene, etc, adapted to dissolve the nitrated substance, to which liquid had been previously added a small quantity of on oil in which the nitrate-d substance hereinahove referred to is also soluble. The above lii uid mixture is applied to the powder in such a limited quantity a 'is just sufficient to bring the soluble nitreted organic substance to a semi-liquid condition. For this aurpose, I spread a thin lever of ti ready made powder upon at suitable su port and apply the liquid mixture to th POMK er by mes s oi e s 'rsyer. in this way the oily mixture is finely ivided and vniformly distributed. in the powder, while the use of excessive quantities of the liquid is prevented. The se1ni-liquidsolution of the oxidizsole substance thus obtained, will, owing to adhesion, envelop the articles of the insoluble exidizing substance iorming fine granules of the explosive, which, under the microscope, snow a crystalline structure, but when Dressed, will cling to each other end re: belie snv desired form. in this we, a, grsnu" explosive is oht ined which is some time .sufii ciently plastic to liners to press it into overhead holes.

l .111 carrying out my process, 5(. '9G% of powdered cereal starch or flour, the exact proportions talren depending upon the quiclo ness of the powder desired. This mixture is immersed in nitric acid of about 42 Beum. After theprozluct has attained state of full chemical action, it is removed from the said bath and suddenly immersed in cold water. After cooling, the product is rcn'ioved from the water, is pulverized, washed in cold water and dried.

Ten to twenty-five ports of the powder thus obtained are mixed with ninety to seventy-five parts of an oxidizing agent, such as e chlorate, perchlorate, nitrate or permanganste of potassium. After noonents have been thoroughly mixed, t ev ere to which had previously been added oneiourthto live per cent. of en oil in which the tor oil. As the alcohol readily vcletilizes, the remaining oily oxidizchle s hstence will form a pesty coating for gzunulated oxidizing particles, so that a plastic water-- proof explosive is produced.

Example: Twenty parts mixed with live parts of a-vegeteble meal, such as starch, and the mixturcis then oxi dized. Twenty-five parts of tl oxidized mixture are then mixed with seventy-five parts of powdered chlorate of potassium. A secondmixture is prepared. consisting of one moisture. At the same time an eflectiv explosive 18, produced which contains a homogeneous mixture oi the explosive compowdered resin are mixed with59--l0% of' I spreyed,;wh1le gently agitated, Willil alcohol,v

nitreted substances are soluble, such as cssof resin are part of cestor oil and twenty parts of alcohol.

which otherwise would readily sbsor'c said ponents in a plastic-state; so that the same oxidizable substance, and then causing the may be readily charged into over-head blast alcohol to volatilize so that the oil together holes. r, x with the oxidizable substance forms a plastic I claim: a waterproof coating upon the particles of 1 5 A Process of producing a plastic explosive oxidizing agent, substantially as specified.

which consists in forming a mixture of a pul- Signed by me at Liverpool, England, this verize'd inorganic oxidizing agent with a pulthirteenth day of January 1908. yerized readily oxidizable organic substance l V V EVERARD STEELE. insoluble in Water but soluble in alcohol, Witnesses: l r spraying said mixture With a solution of alco- H. WATSON,

hol and castor oil to thereby dissolve the W. E.. MOMULLEN. 

